Tag Archives: food trends

Most Interesting Trends at the 2013 Winter Fancy Food Show

imageBy the time food trends like bacon-flavored-everything and cupcakes reach supermarket shelves, they’ve already been flaunted by multiple food companies at the Fancy Food Show. This convention of sorts is where the worlds food purveyors, big and small, come to show off their newest creations. It’s where food trends are born, both artisan and mainstream.

This year’s 38th annual show was bigger than ever with 1,300 exhibiting companies and 18,000 attendees at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. Here’s the Top 5 most interesting trends I spotted at the event.

1. Strange things are going on with tea:
This year, I saw a focus on teas with added benefits like probiotics and herbs that aid in replenishing or adding to your workout routine (think Vitamin Water but with brewed tea). But the weirdest of them all was a line of savory teas with flavors like Beet Cabbage, Broccoli Cilantro and Spinach Chive. Described as “not quite a soup and more than a tea,” it seemed to have an identity crisis built right in. But once I tried it, I surprisingly, didn’t hate it.

2. Cooking with Hemp:
I recently tried a scalloped potatoes dish with hemp cream that I loved, so I was intrigued to see the emergence of shelled hemp seeds this year. It is more a textural experience (chewy and a bit like teeny tiny quinoa) than a flavorful one (doesn’t add any). You sprinkle them on your yogurt or fish like you would granola. Apparently they’re loaded with health benefits and give you sustained energy. And no, you won’t get high off this stuff so there’s no point in adding it to those brownies.

3. Cherries are the new pomegranate:
Move over pomegranates! Cherries are apparently superior to all your much-touted antioxidant goodness. Tart cherry juice reduces inflammation, has naturally occurring melatonin to help you sleep, and it fights heart disease. I personally prefer the taste of cherry juice to pomegranate, which can be way too tart for me.

4. White cheddar popcorn is so passe:
Seems cheddar is just too boring when it comes to a bag of gourmet popped corn. I saw varieties like blue cheese, butter toffee, hatch chili con queso, chipotle lime, sun-dried tomato parmesan, and smoked gouda. Popcorn has entered potato chip territory with these adventurous new flavors.

5. Squeeze pouches aren’t just for kids anymore:
If you have children, you’ve seen those squeeze pouches of wholesome applesauce that are lifesavers because of their convenient, mess-free packaging and perfect portions. So why limit them to just the kids? Active adults will love smoothies, pureed antioxidant-rich fruit, and even veggie combinations in squeezable portable pouches just as much as the little ones.

6. Ice cream sandwiches are the new cake pop:
Seems like every year there’s a new hand-held dessert trend. Gone are cupcakes, cake pops, and whoopie pies. Gourmet ice cream sandwiches will be hitting your supermarket’s freezer by mid-year from some of the best gourmet ice cream makers.

*Cross-posted on BlogHer.com. 

 

Tasty Trends from the Fancy Food Show

The Holidays may be a time for feasting, but January is time for the annual Fancy Food Show in San Francisco. Foodies both rejoice and have to control themselves. It was like Disneyland for me and over 12,000 of the event’s attendees. I mean, where else could you see a rendition of Van Gogh’s Starry Night done in jelly beans?

This is where food trends are born. Remember sun-dried tomatoes? Or jalapeno flavored everything? How about when all the foods you bought seemed to be “antioxidant-rich”? Before they hit a supermarket shelf, they made their debut here.

There were over 1200 specialty, name brand, international, and local food makers and manufacturers all vying for your attention.

This year, it felt like the economy affected the trends. There wasn’t anything outrageous or attention grabbing, but that’s perfectly okay. It was trendy this year to take what already worked and give it a newer spin.

A few things did definitely show up more than a few times, though.

Chinese, Japanese and Thai food aren’t new, but Indian and Korean foods seemed to be the big trend. Items like marinades, frozen entrees and meal kits made a push for space on the American dinner table.

I also saw a lot of snacks that are popular in foreign countries, like China, Japan and South America, being highlighted as something “new” for the American market. Things like rice crackers, freeze dried Asian pears, crispy garlic flavored plantain chips, and black sesame candies all showed up on the expo floor.

Coffee and energy drinks took a backseat to teas. How does Honey Apricot sound? Or Milk Oolong? How about Blackcurrant and Cardamom? There were a lot of herby, fruity, and intriguing fusions making their debuts.

Candy, in general, is a perennial favorite food, but there’s always something new in the sweets world. This year, many of them had herbs, energy boosting power, or even health benefits. I tried Ginger, Yuzu and Lemon flavored gummy bears, pumpkin seed candies covered in dark chocolate, and even “Sport Beans” which are jelly beans that give you a quick pick-me-up.

Regardless of what interesting items showed up at the event, it’s still up to the American public to decide which of these trends gets to stay and which go. Besides, I’m sure there will be a whole new crop tasty trends for next year.